Behringer P2 & Donner EM1 - Compact Personal IEM Systems Comparison

[@webingerphoto49]

Scott…great review on the DonnerEM1 and Behringer P2! I was looking for a simple IEM system for my eDrum Roland Kit to connect to my wedge amplifier with monitor out or direct to Yamaha Mixer MG 12. I think I found my $50.00 fix with the Behringer P2! Kudos!!!

[@sttrumpet]

I have 7 of the P2s and the problem that I have had with them is if the unit gets bumped, some times one of the batteries gets dislodged and the unit stops working until you open the unit and put the battery back in properly. I have cured this problem with adding some gaff tape around the battery. The extra thickness keeps the battery in place. The second complaint is the belt clip. It is easily bent. Like the one in your video.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Yup, I do agree with these two criticisms. They are mild enough that I still recommend these systems, but you are correct and should be aware of them 👍

[@steveliberty]

Nice review. Thanks for doing this. One thing I’ll add - in my opinion, the belt clip on the Donner seems more robust and better designed than the one on the Behringer. Even in your video, you could see that the Behringer clip is a bit bent outward. The Donner clip, which is removable, could be more easily bent back into position if it did bend outwards over time.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I agree for sure. I guess the behringer one is better for attaching to a stand or something wider than a belt. It’s not a deal breaker for sure, but you definitely are correct!

[@GerhardAlbinus]

Thank you so much for this review and thorough comparison! It proved extremely useful. With your help and fellow musicians I've now also purchased the Behringer P2 from Sweetwater. What appealed to me was it's functionality, Mono/Stero, 1/4" / XLR and that it used replaceable AAA Batteries. Great videos, thank you for making these available! Cheers!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Nice! Glad you enjoyed the video 🤘

[@sebastianlopez1150]

I love the mudvayne meme from the beginning! Great video bro 🔥🔥

[@ScottUhlMusic]

😅😅 it’s a good one! Thanks!

[@drummer5015]

These are two great low-cost options, each with some trade-offs, and I chose neither. I ended up buying a FZONE P4. It is the same basic shape as the P2, similar metal chassis, but the mono/stereo switch is on the top near the volume knob, and the batteries are easily accessible via a door on the side. What the P2 should have been. It also has a better belt clip. I'm pretty satisfied with it.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Ooooh nice! That’s a much better design! I just added it to my cart on Amazon. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@pbenson56fran]

Immediately I could tell a difference with the second take. I did as you asked listened to the second first then the first one second. Same thing the second one for me had a richer sound. The first test sounded brighter. Personally I prefer richer sounds from a song.

[@StereoAnthony]

Finally getting my wedding band on In ears, and heard good things about the Donner as a great budget option. Very clear differences in the sound quality of both. I'm happy to know the Donner was the second audio clip

[@AlexeyKormin]

I changed XLR connectors on Neutrik Combo XLR / 1 / 4in Jack on my P1. 5 minutes and I'm very happy.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Sweet! I suck at replacing stuff like that, but if you are able to do that, it’s well worth it. I don’t know why they didn’t do that just to start to be honest. They did on the P2 for some reason.

[@JoeJoeNoone]

Thanks for the review. Strangely I can find the Behringer (Sweetwater has "super partnership" with Behringer) but I can't seem to find the Donner anywhere. Crazy times....

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Haha it only happened because I made a video saying “I can’t find the behringer one anywhere anymore.” 🤣

[@johnforeman2023]

Amazon usually stock the Donner

[@jreya88]

Great review! I couldnt find the answer you said you listed in the vid description about which device belonged to which audio test track. In my personal opinion the first test track sounds bigger and more robust. The second audio test track had a thinner sound and more crisp response. Im definitely more inclined to purchase the unit that the first audio test track belonged to. Thanks again for the great content!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Weird, I don’t know why it’s not there. This video was a while ago, so I cannot remember which one was which. I believe the behringer was the 1st one if I remember correctly. I know I put the results in there. So weird.

[@freddieonbass]

Hey Scott, I hope you can remember which unit was the first one cause I would like to get that one.

[@sundayswithjeremiah]

I love your reviews videos mhen

[@oliverwilson9866]

Thank you 🙏

[@sundayswithjeremiah]

I have alot to learn from you bro, I'm a newbie

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@DadPlaysBass]

Em2 big winner here, cheaper and reliable. I also like better the fact I won’t spend anymore with batteries. Just charge it and it will last for 12 hours

[@SamsonBrock42]

The Donner EM2 seems like the way to go but now the Donners seem to be getting harder to find, especially the EM2.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

They are both great. If you cannot find one, going for the other one is a good choice

[@steimystein4368]

I work with people who use the Behringer P1 and they are quite happy with it. One is a Drummer, so he uses the Behringer power supply, and the keyboard player prefers batteries. (ugh expensive 9 volt!). I had the keyboard player try the EM1 that I purchased (on sale for $26!), and he liked it and said it sounded as good, and was much lighter to carry. I use it at home for watching movies late at night in my apartment. It works really well for that, and it came with the right cable to do it with. I prefer the rechargeable design of the EM1. I've been using it nightly for weeks on end without having to recharge it (one movie a night, and occasionally for KZbin as well). I'm pretty sold on it for what I paid for it. Not sure if I would pay the $30+ they want for it now. I also have a Behringer P1 in a case with a power supply just in case someone wants to use ears.... They can try it out.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks for commenting. And yeah, these are really great headphone amps for sure 🤘

[@robertor1808]

Great review. I have a question: Donner EM1 is recommended to use 8 Ω - 250Ω impedance headphones. Does behringer P2 work well even with high-impedance headphones? Thanks

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Oh man, I actually do not know the answer to this one :/ Sorry! They are cheap and amazon has a good return policy if they do not work for you.

[@KLYVERECORDS]

The only thing with the ‘em don’t touch the screws at the back because it’s not built to adjust if ur belt stretched it out… the nut 🔩 gonna fall inside the device

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I haven’t had that problem, but always good to hear about potential issues. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@KLYVERECORDS]

@@ScottUhlMusic just don’t remove the belt clip screws and you’ll be fine

[@二加二]

Good review video. How about compare to muslady in ear?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks! And just a quick search on the muslady one, it looks almost exactly like the Behringer P1. Like.... pretty much exact haha

[@johnforeman2023]

Could you maybe do a review of the Pros and Cons between the Behringer PM1 and P2. Obviously the PM1 needs to go through a headphone amp as the xlr is wired pin2 left pin3 right so adapters or some clever wiring is needed

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I think you basically summed up the review haha :) but yeah I’ve looked at that one before. I might have to do a review on it at some point

[@sparkyguitar0058]

Ya I wanna know where your getting a P-2 for $30-35. I got mine for $69 but I got it fast. Now some do have it in stock but it's definitely over $50. Just be real about the price. I still think it's worth it. I did my I E M system for $ 135 and my side works great but the P A side is such a loud signal that my in-ears distort at any volume. I still use them to block out the keyboards huge on stage Amp volume on 1 side. We are working on the sound system as of now.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

$50 is definitely still worth it. But when it was on Amazon it was around $35 when I got mine! But it’s almost always back ordered now

[@Clipper_Damez]

The first one sounded a bit more 'fuller' than the second, but both sounded fine.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Exactly, both are very useable

[@jcsonicrecords2868]

i agree i also heard like a flangish i kinda sound on the second one soo i'd lean towards the p2 on a good day but i love the two same way still

[@crocholiday]

Great review! One really great feature of the EM1 & EM2 is being in stock lol. I've been trying to get a P2 for a couple months now. Nobody has them. Well, nobody has them that isn't charging $80 - $100 for them. I'd prefer removable batteries as well but I gotta get something. I'm gonna lose my shit if I step on my headphone cable one more time lol. Out of curiosity.... one of those had a shade more low end in it. Which was it?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Ah I forgot to put that in the comments! Thanks for the reminder. 1 was the behringer and 2 was the Donner one. And yes, the best part of the Donner one is that it’s in stock haha. That’s a big reason why I did this video

[@crocholiday]

@@ScottUhlMusic I really appreciate the videos you do. I have good gear for gigs but don't really want to duplicate it home practice. These are fantastic solutions. Ordered this last night and will have my wireless Uhl in ear system soon haha. Thanks for what you do!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Haha thanks! I appreciate the support 🤘

[@Telecastersanonymous]

I’ve got a question, I’m not very savvy with this stuff so I’ll try to make this make sense. I’ve tried to run headphones off the peavy monitors we have on stage and they get blown….quite fast. Will this prevent that from happening? Can I run 1/4 inch off the monitor into this then plug my studio headphones into this and no more blown headphones

[@ScottUhlMusic]

My guess is yes, because you will have a way to control the volume going into your headphones with these headphone amps 👍

[@melodology-5383]

Hello, sorry for my question, I totally have no experience. I record music at my home using my ssl2+ audio interface and my in ear monitors shure SE 215 (18 impedance). However, when I contact my in in ears monitors to the interface I get very bad quality sound. So my question is, will this P2 help me with my situation?? Or do you recommend any other solution. Thank you for your time 🙏

[@ScottUhlMusic]

No, if you are getting bad audio these won’t help. I would figure out why you are getting bad audio first 👍

[@gazzapax56]

I bought a P2 (as FoH don’t wish us to have monitors/amps on stage). My guitar pedal board therefore now goes straight into DI box, and thence into snake to desk. I therefore acquired a P2, the mixer output is fed to me as a TRS from FoH. But, I found the sound awful, only top end frequencies, a bit like a transistor radio. I bought KINBOOFI KZ ZSN Pro X 1BA 1DD in Ear Earphone, apparent range 7-40000Hz… but they were very inexpensive. I can’t understand why the signal is so poor. I’m reluctant to spend big on the in-ears if that’s not the problem. P2 is on Stereo setting. Any thoughts much appreciated.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

You could have gotten a bad unit. I’ve had multiple musicians use the P2 and they’ve all liked it. So my best guess is that it’s a bad unit or you are sending a signal that is way too hot into it

[@gazzapax56]

@@ScottUhlMusic thank you :)

[@georgerichardson5116]

How about comparing the Polsen BCPM1 with these two? It's basically the the same thing but is passive so if you're using the "hack" from your previous video with the Rolls unit there is no need for these to be powered as the Rolls unit provides the power. Cheaper too. I've been using one and it seems to work just the same as the Donner.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Oh nice! Yeah maybe I should check out one of the passive ones. I just think the signal will be pretty quiet with a passive one compared to one with battery’s. But I might have to add it to my list of stuff to check out

[@AlCapwndYou]

Same issue as the Behringer P2 though - limited availability and Backordered everywhere. This and the Fischer are great solutions if your receiving a pre-amped signal, say from a mixing console, but yeah - the availability is the issue at the moment.

[@TimmyP1955]

I dislike AAA, owing to the fact that I have a large free supply of good used AA :-)

[@malikamos9779]

I just purchased the em2 and have experience with both the p2 and em2. Does anyone have a preference of which provides better sound quality?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

They both sound great to me 👍

[@corybolton7462]

I only get sound out of one side using the Donner, I'm using a wireless guitar system to send a signal to the Donner, using cca C10 iems

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Good thing I have a video about that 😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaHZnImog7anrqM

[@corybolton7462]

@@ScottUhlMusic so I'm guessing since the wireless dongles only output mono, the em1 only sees mono through the 1/4 inch plug and I need the adapter?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

@@corybolton7462 I would suggest getting the adapter, yes

[@ZzzzzzzxxxzzzYZ4]

@@ScottUhlMusic Using the adapter can I use my (cheap) wireless system you recommended>adapter>in-ears and hear both sides (in mono, of course) when I don't have a mono switch option on the gear?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

@@ZzzzzzzxxxzzzYZ4 You should be able to, yes

[@steveclarke1764]

These don't seem to be available any longer.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

They should be 👍

[@billyvalentine4365]

EM2 is actually cheaper than the EM1!

[@bogotaprint9340]

Hey. Great video. Do you know if is it possible to connect this device from the line out of a guitar amplifier for monitoring ? Thanks

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Out of a helix or fractal or other direct rig? Yeah, definitely 👍

[@panagiotismarkopoulos4530]

Which one of the two had a bit more low end;...As a drummer i think i need that bit of more bass

[@ScottUhlMusic]

They both are pretty good to be honest. I think the Donner one had more low end, but both will be good 👍

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Your inears that you use will really determine how much low end you get. The earbuds themselves

[@erikaignatamusic2771]

This is brilliant thank you! Could you please help me with something? So I have a behringer p2 in ear monitor and I use a Bose L1 pro 8 as my PA system with an in-built mixer. I sing and play guitar and in order to hear myself, I plug my monitor into the ‘line out’ slot on my PA system. The first couple of times I did this, it was working fine. I could hear both the voice and guitar very clearly and it was great. Then all of a sudden, I’m at a gig, and I can only clearly hear the guitar but my voice is super muffled (can barely hear it through the monitor at all!) Everything is coming out of the PA system fine btw, but I need to be able to hear it clearly through in ears. Could you suggest why this might be?! I tried using a separate mixer and I encountered a similar problem when plugging the monitor into the monitor slot. Is it the cable I’m using to connect them? Is it a faulty monitor? I’ve only used it a few times and I’m already having issues.. please help!! 🙏

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I honestly have no idea what that could be. You said you tried a different mixer and it’s a similar problem… I would say it’s something with your vocal channel? Switch out the cable or mic. If that doesn’t work, switch out the cable to the P2 or change earbuds and see if that helps. 👍

[@specialbk68]

@Scott Uhl Very nice review! There's one more question regarding the EM1. Currently I'm using an In Ear Stick from Fischer Amps. It is just build as the Behringer P2. From my digital Mixer I use 2 XLR Monitor Outputs using a adpater cable from 2xlr to 1xlr stereo signal. Then going into my In Ear Stick I get a Stereo Signal. Inside that Stick I can switch from Mono to Stereo. So I get a Stereo Signal using the XLR Plug. Can you tell me if the EM1 would also send out a Stereo Signal to my In Ear by using this XLR Stereo Input? Did you also check that kind of wiring in your review? Thanks for your feedback.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I honestly don’t know if combining them together will give you a stereo signal. It depends on your definitely of stereo I guess because people debate this term haha. But they do make the behringer P1 which has two inputs so you can pan if you would like to instead and have true stereo 👍

[@cpt.kimintuitiondemon]

@@ScottUhlMusic dual mono is not stereo. The pm2 is stereo (unless you switch to dual mono) and the donner em1 is stereo without the option to switch to stereo (except by using adapter mono plug)

[@LasVegasdrummer]

My Behringer P2 Hardwired IEMs are perfect, but the batteries pop out on every gig, turning them off during corporate shows. (Very bad!) I just bought the ART HP1 Hardwired IEMs. I love the AA batteries, so they match my Shure wireless mics. (No need for AAA batteries.) Unfortunately, the locking button and outer shell are extremely sticky inside, (Lots of rubbing between shell, circuit board & locking button!) Is there a high quality brand that has no issues and sounds great? Please help me solve this issue. I promise I'll buy them through your link. I'll also let others know too. Thanks! :)

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Agreed! I go over that and another recommendation in this video: The Best WIRED IN-EAR MONITOR SYSTEM - Fzone P4 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bprXkIGgic6IipI

[@christothegreat1]

Can you power on and use the Donner EM1 while it’s charging?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Yup 👍

[@MrvlZmb]

Will they work with a mic level input, or only with line level?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Yup 👍

[@MariaB..]

Sound Test: 6:47 Behringer 6:59 Donner

[@ScottUhlMusic]

And again, if you don’t hear a difference that is super noticeable, you don’t need to know the answers. 🤘 just my tone philosophy

[@MariaB..]

​@@ScottUhlMusic 7:11 - 7:24 Excellent advice!! 👍 Thank you!

[@RyrydaYtber]

I have a pedalboard but no amp. Can I use the pedalboard xlr output to this?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

No, you will need some sort of amp simulator like a HX stomp/helix/quad cortex/fractal/etc

[@mzsmountzionsanctuaryinter123]

How Can i use multiple receiver to a analog mixer?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

It just depends on how many aux or bus outs you can do. However many aux channels you have, that’s how many different mixes you can use.

[@mzsmountzionsanctuaryinter123]

@@ScottUhlMusic I've only got 4 aux but im planning to purchase the iem with multiple body packs.. I have some videos of our sunday service im planning to give all of my band ministry a iem.. Thank you sir your time.. I can't figure out how can i do that..

[@ScottUhlMusic]

If you want multiple people to have the SAME mix, you can use one transmitter and multiple receivers. Everyone has to agree on the mix, which is the tough part about that option, but it is possible.

[@mzsmountzionsanctuaryinter123]

@@ScottUhlMusic yes i agree its the tough one.. Thank you sir... God willing if someday i purchase the iem can i message to ask for some help..?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

@@mzsmountzionsanctuaryinter123 Best of luck! And if you need additional help, I do offer consulting services. You can find out more on my website here: www.scottuhlmusic.com/consulting

[@karadytube]

Now they both are expensive, over 55€ in EU 😢

[@ScottUhlMusic]

That’s definitely not bad!